K-pop is more popular than ever. It is expanding daily and not only in Asia but worldwide. BTS performed on Saturday Night Live in 2019, making them the first Korean musical performer on the show, and they also ‘sold-out’ Wembley Stadium in England. In 2020, BTS's disco-style song "Dynamite" topped both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global US charts. As a result, Korea's main asset remains K-Pop, as K-pop Entertainment companies seek new talent.
1. Pledis Entertainment
Pledis Entertainment has had a lot of success with their girl group ‘After School’ in recent years. However, many fans call 'After School' a one-hit-wonder because they haven't made much noise ever since "Because of You." However, they continue to have a strong following in China and Japan. Big Hit Entertainment has acquired Pledis Entertainment because of its success in 2019-2020. Pledis, on the other hand, will continue to operate independently. Big Hit's global networks and platform technologies will assist Pledis artists in gaining greater international exposure.
2. Woollim Entertainment
In 2013, Woollim Entertainment merged with SM Entertainment via SM C&C. However, three years later, the two companies announced their formal separation. Woollim Entertainment is now a stand-alone entity. INFINITE and Lovelyz are two of their leading artists. INFINITE L, on the other hand, has announced his departure from Woollim Entertainment. Woollim Entertainment did not renew this contract. Takahashi Juri of Japanese idol group AKB48 was Woollim's significant acquisition for the new six-member girl group ‘Rocket Punch’. As a result, this could be their long-term strategy for breaking into the Japanese Market.
3. Starship Entertainment
FAVE Entertainment was initially called the LOEN Entertainment, and their subsidiary Starship Entertainment has had immense success with their 12-member girl group and IU, which is currently one of Korea's biggest stars. IU is not only a successful musician but also an actress. She is the inspiration behind FAVE entertainment. As a result, with SISTAR resigned and onboard, Starship will develop its talents for potential solo careers.
4. FNC Entertainment
FNC Entertainment is known for cool music bands such as CNBLUE, SF9, and AOA, all of which have evolved into dance groups. The scandal involving bullying has made AOA the talk of 2020. Jimin eventually left the group, and FNC Entertainment apologized for failing to monitor the member's relationships. FNC Entertainment has had their worst year in terms of public relations of any K-pop Entertainment company. Suk Joon and Han Seung So lead FNC Entertainment.
5. Cube Entertainment
Cube Entertainment's new group PENTAGON has had a lot of success. PENTAGON hoped to fill the void left by B2ST's departure from Cube Entertainment. That was an attempt to resurrect Cube Entertainment, which had a poor 2016 and has seen its stock continue to fall even into 2017-2018. Cube's success is dependent on BTOB's continued success (top digital sales in 2018), the rise of PENTAGON, CLC's debut, and (G)IDLE's next step. With the loss of 4 Minutes and B2ST, PENTAGON and CLC needed to pick up the slack, which they could not do. Cube Entertainment was devastated by the loss of BEAST.
6. Stone Music Entertainment
Cube Entertainment has discovered a great deal of success. CJ ENM owns Stone Music Entertainment, which is a privately held company. It is one of South Korea's largest co-publishing companies. They are more than just a record label; they are also a talent agency and a music production company. They formed their label, Off The Record Entertainment, to manage the winners of the popular Korean singing competition ‘Produce 48’. Fromis 9 was the winner of IZ*ONE and Idol School. They also established LM Entertainment, Swing Entertainment, MMO Entertainment, and Studio Blu as exclusive labels.
7. SM Entertainment
They have dropped out of the top three, but they are still significant players in the K-pop industry. Their popularity in China has grown as a result of investments from Alibaba and now Tencent. They have over 25.9 million subscribers on their YouTube channel. According to data, more than 90% of subscribers are not from Korea. The vast majority are Chinese. As a result of their strategic partnership with Tencent Music Entertainment, SM Entertainment's distribution and marketing in the Chinese music market will benefit. Way V, a Chinese boy band, is also a member of SM.
8. YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment is still reeling from the biggest sex scandal in K-Pop history. However, thanks to BLACKPINK, they remain in the top three. The Seungri, Jung Joon-young, and Choi Joon-hoon scandals have significantly lowered YG's stock price. In the past, YG Entertainment was an unstoppable force in the K-pop industry. Tencent owns 4.5 percent of YG, while Weiying owns 8.2 percent. They also received a significant partnership/investment from Naver, South Korea's largest internet portal, for approximately $90 million (9 percent equity stake).
9. JYP Entertainment
J.Y. Park was founded JYP in 1997. Launching the careers of K-pop legends such as Wonder Girls, Rain, and Miss A, credited the company. Their YouTube channel has more than 19.7 million followers. TWICE, their current most popular group has over 22 million followers on Twitter and Instagram combined. On the male group side, GOT7 has been dominant. Each member is distinct. Even though they are individually doing their own thing, they still support one another. Their comebacks have been enormously successful. They are possibly one of the most underappreciated male groups of all time. JYP holds auditions throughout Asia.
10. HYBE Corporation
The success of HYBE, formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment, is due to ONE and ONLY ONE GROUP, BTS. Furthermore, BTS has been on one of the most successful runs in history. In the beginning, HYBE was a small company and was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2007. However, with BTS, they created one of the most popular boy groups of all time. BTS is a seven-member boy band that has sold millions of albums and whose YouTube videos are among the most-watched on the site. BTS did not become famous overnight. They made their debut in 2013. As a result, they worked hard and finally broke out globally in 2019. BTS is an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts.
